Tutorial quote: If you’ve programmed under IBM operating systems, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Rexx. Rexx is the scripting and command language IBM bundles with all its mainframe, mid-range, and lower-end operating systems. What you might not be aware of is that Rexx also runs on almost every other operating system in the known universe. You can download Rexx free for all versions of Windows®, Linux, UNIX®, BSD, Mac OS, and DOS, and many other systems. It even runs on the three major operating systems for handheld devices: Windows CE, Palm OS, and Symbian/EPOC32.

What this means is, if you learn Rexx, you’ll know a scripting language that runs everywhere from mainframes to handhelds—and everything in between. Rexx is a general-purpose language that's powerful enough for mainframes yet flexible enough for other platforms. Best of all, Rexx is easy to learn.